


splitting image

by wicherwill



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Michelle Jones Is a Good Bro, Protective Michelle Jones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-24 15:35:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21900301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wicherwill/pseuds/wicherwill
Summary: In the aftermath of FFH, three people who (metaphorically) mistake Peter for Tony.
Relationships: Michelle Jones/Peter Parker
Comments: 2
Kudos: 49





	splitting image

**Author's Note:**

> Because they’re similar but not the same.

i. Sam

He’s a decorated army vet and a grown ass man. He makes a mean osso bucco that can win over any man or woman in three bites flat. And his regular, day to day, honest to god job is being a legit superhero.

And yet.

If he’s being _completely_ honest.

Sam is still nursing a…sore spot. Over getting beat by a kid. Over two years ago (or seven, depending on who’s counting). It’s sort of ridiculous (well, it’s a lot ridiculous) and he needs to be the bigger man. He’s Captain America, for Christ’s sake, or at least he will be when Ross gets his head out of his ass. Captain America stands for Truth and Justice and Not Being A Petty Fuck In A One-Sided Feud With A Teenager.

You’d think that he and Rhodey would get along, military brothers in arms or whatever, but it’s actually Wanda he gets along with the best. They don’t have much in common—he genuinely thinks that what she calls music might be a new form of torture—but one night, after a bit of an impromptu party had become too noisy for him to take, he’d found her similarly exiled to a quiet balcony of the compound.

They’d chatted until late at night, sharing their respective histories and marveling at the steps that brought them here. He’d shared stories about Riley, and she’d done the same about her childhood.

She has him in stitches recounting a particularly hilarious tale of a cage of chicks that had escaped in a science experiment gone horrifically wrong. “And then, I absolutely kid you not, the neighbor comes back, her hands behind her back, and starts trying to peck at the floor to make them think she was their mama!”

It’s a solid few minutes before they both stop laughing and can catch their breath. “That’s…oh man, Wanda, that is a well told story is what that is.”

The smile has a way of making her look more her age—she’s not even thirty. Hell, he’s only just forty. The constant strife of the past few years has really caught up with them. “Remembering stories from before all this mess helps me to feel at home here, you know. I am very grateful to Tony but since he showed up it has been one thing after another you know?”

It’s not speaking ill of the man, but this is why there’s always a bit of distance between him and Rhodey, who’s still clearly mourning the loss of his best friend. “Yeah, I get you. It was always something with Tony. Hard for a man like that to stay under the radar, I guess. Always has to make an entrance.”

Wanda snorts. “When your suit literally shines from a mile away there is no option but to make sure everyone knows you have arrived. Are you going to go back to the famous red, white, and blue uniform and join the fight for freedom, Captain?”

The smile must drop off his face for a split second because she hurriedly continues on, “It was not just Tony who loved the entrance. I have seen those videos from Berlin, my friend. That kid of his is just the same.”

It’s not quite the best topic to draw his mind away from the quagmire that is sorting through superhero paperwork (the depressing realities of being an adult). “Oooh that kid. He’s the definition of flashy. Who on earth chooses a costume that immediately stick sticks in everyone’s mind like that?”

“A Stark protégé, of course!”

That’s all it really takes, at the end of the night. He might be an post traumatic stress expert, but there’s precious little training on how to reconcile your frustrations with a man who literally gave his life to rescue half the known universe. Finding someone willing to rag on an annoying teenager who _also_ helped save the world pretty much seals the deal.

ii. Fury

Nothing like the feel of solid, good old Earth under your feet, keeping you from drifting off into the great unknown.

Another time he’d happily spend some time reacquainting himself with his home planet but judging from the absolutely harangued expression on Maria’s face that wasn’t happening anytime soon.

“This is an absolute clusterfuck, Fury,” she said, her eyes continuing to dart back and forth as she sifts through status reports. “How are we supposed to solve this? I told you this would be a mess…”

“Worse than Budapest?”

That earns him an eyeroll. Nothing, ever, will be worse than Budapest.

“Well then let’s get spinning!” he says, throwing on his best maniacal grin. “Which of our PR plants is still around?”

Maria swipes through a much shorter list than he remembers. “Zheng, Johnston, and Rusty, I think. What’s the angle? Zheng or Johnston would be good for some deep dives on the tech, show how easily the video feeds could be manipulated. Rusty could maybe swing the personal puff piece…pity that Manisha was snapped. That’s probably our best angle, show them that Peter Parker is no criminal mastermind, just a friendly neighborhood Spiderman.”

“Let’s not…get ahead of ourselves. This is Tony’s handpicked wunderkid. Don’t need a smartass mouthing off on national television.”

Both of them are quiet for a minute.

“I still don’t think—”

“Remember Zurich?”

“But that was a completely different situation!” But Maria’s heart doesn’t seem in it. She must also be running through the mental list of press conferences with Tony that only served to make Very Bad Situations turn, somehow, into Even Worse Situations.

At least this kid is, well, a kid. There’s a chance he can scare him straight and keep this at Manageable (But Still Had to Cancel Vacation) Situation. That’s most of the job, anyhow.

Turns out the kid is sequestered in the complex, or whatever has been rebuilt of it at least. The last time he’d been here the entire area was rubble and a catastrophic wasteland. Pepper has been efficient, it seems, jettisoning the sedate cottage life and taking over the day to day management of Stark and the construction.

“A part of me always assumed it was going to be temporary,” she says when they call. “It’ll make a nice vacation house until I can train up someone to take over for me. I mean, Peter’s already worked on some of the schematics Tony left behind, he’s definitely got a future role here if he wants.”

He doesn’t know how to phrase his question delicately. “So, ah, the boy, I take it he’s got…”

“Oh, he’s got it in spades,” she says, “I didn’t see it at first, but it’s clear why Tony picked him.”

When she hangs up, he drops his head into his hands.

“I think you’re taking this a _bit_ far, Fury,” Maria says, one eyebrow raised, as they round the corner to the lab. “He’s a kid. I’m not sure he’s even old enough to drive.”

“And I thought Tony was just another eccentric scientist and look where that got us.”

“You have to admit he kept the job interesting.”

He definitely does not get paid enough for this shit.

“Our _job_ to let him know that he answers to us. No matter how many super robots he can build in the basement.”

The answer, as it were, is two—two robotic rockets that Parker is manipulating and trying to add to a version of his suit. He barely notices when they enter the lab, their footsteps apparently muffled by his comically large headphones. He continues to bop around, silently singing, until Fury has to practically yell “MR. PARKER,” at which point he jumps and turns around.

He has the gall to look a bit grumpy. “Mr. Fury! What are you doing here…?”

“Cleaning up your mess, it appears.”

Unsurprisingly, this tactic does not work. The little twerp _rolls his eyes_ and turns back to the bench. “Look, Mr. Fury, it’s been a really tough couple of weeks. I’d really like to work on this now, Ned’s counting on me.”

He’s not quite sure who or what Ned is but unwilling to ask. Maria’s looking towards another person in the lab, who is glaring at him fiercely over the top of a book. “And who are you…?”

“That’s Michelle, she’s my….” The girl stops glaring at him for a moment and Looks at Parker, who continues, “Girlfriend! Happy already said she could come and visit if I’m going to be forced to stay here.”

She gives him the world’s most sarcastic salute. “Hello there, Mr. Director. Coming to ruin our summer again?”

There’s a small bang from the table near Peter and he jumps to smother what looks suspiciously like flames.

“These aren’t toys, Mr. Parker, and this is not playtime. You are here because it is in everyone’s best interests that you be out of the limelight, not because I enjoy your company.”

“You haven’t even been here,” he mutters. “I know what I’m doing.”

“Look here, Spiderman, you might be the smartest kid in your little baby genius wading pool-”

The girl audibly snorts, cutting him off. “Is this what you’ve got them believing in this paranoia-driven cult?”

“…what? I’m never even…what?” Parker turns to face him. “Yeah, definitely. Mr. Fury, I…I’m not the top of my class. Who told you that?”

“And who’s going to take responsibility for the days of school that Peter’s going to miss, hmm?” The girl’s snapped her book shut and has resumed the glaring. “I don’t plan on sitting here tutoring him. How’s he going to be able to help with your next half-baked scheme if he’s failing English? Spiderman isn’t exempt from the national requirement to graduate. Last I checked the Sokovian Accords at least.”

“Wait what?!” There’s genuine panic on Parker’s face as he yelps, drops whatever he’s doing and practically leaps for his backpack. “You said you’d help me with my essay! Mr. Lucien said I had until Friday to revise!”

The girl rolls her eyes. “See? I suggest you do something about this whole…situation. Or you’ll be down one swinging superhero because Peter Parker can’t differentiate alliteration from consonance.”

This is apparently very funny to her.

“MJ,” Parker is whining, drawing out the name in some hideous manner definitely prohibited by the Geneva Convention, “please help me please please.”

“This…whole schtick is not what I would consider attractive.”

“Look at this face, MJ, just look at it and tell me you won’t help me.”

“You’re competitive, Parker. I’ve got my eyes on that Phi Beta Kappa life.”

“Betty is your competition, like, maybe Mark?”

“ _Mark_? _!_ ”

“Not Mark, I’m sorry, just MJ _please_ , please MJ please please please—.”

“Of course I’ll help, Spiderdork. Can’t have the kiddos find out their friendly neighborhood Avenger is repeating his senior year.”

“Thank you thank you thank you—”

“Yes, yes, we get the picture. I’mma need some sustenance if we’re going to review Ms. Bovary right now.”

“Right away!” and Peter is off, barely sparing him a second glance.

He avoids Maria’s eye. The glimpse he’d gotten was smugness enough for the day. Unfortunately, it means he lands on the girl’s face.

She’s got a pen in hand and is tapping it insistently on the table. “Now, about that responsibility…”

Which is how, a few hours later, he finds himself the newly deputized head of continuing education for S.H.I.E.L.D. 2.0 or S.W.O.R.D. or whatever they were calling it these days. Maria has straight up excused herself, and he can hear her cackling as she makes her way to the gym.

From his office he has a nice view into the lab. Whatever tinkering Parker was doing has been set aside, and he’s listening to the girl and taking notes as if his life depended on it.

iii. Wanda

She does not like finding people in the gym. She especially does not like finding young Peter Parker.

Everyone finds him so adorable, little Peter Parker with his enthusiasm and energy. He somehow gets Sam to open up about the difficulties in being the new Captain. Bruce is so charmed by him that she frequently hears them doing schoolwork in the kitchen, and it is always when she is hungry. Even Pepper manages to stop by and personally discuss whatever new gadget or gimmickry that is being produced by the factories that pay for her current life.

He is to everyone their charming little _bratr_ but she already had a brother full of energy and life who could never sit still.

But that is not exactly why she does not like finding Peter Parker in the gym. After all, she rarely goes a minute without remembering all that she has lost.

What she cannot stand is how he recoils from her, his eyes shifting to the nearest exit when she walks into a room. He is scared of her and her power, of what she could do to him if she lost control.

( _They will never stop fearing you_ , Vis had said)

She does not mean to speak ill of the departed but it is so very like Tony to give his protégé this very useless fear. She wants to shake him and say she has already given everything for this world, her brother given for the mistakes of your mentor and her love given for people who do not know her. She knows the way the wind is blowing; Pepper does not want to continue at Stark, and she supposes it’ll soon belong to this child. This _dítě_ who fears her will be responsible for her home and life.

So here she is, debating whether to stay or go now that Peter Parker has turned away from his gymnastics and flipping off walls and caught sight of her. His face turns red, instantly, and one foot appears to get stuck to the ceiling in his haste to get down and get away.

“Dweeeeeeeeb,” drawls an unfamiliar voice, “chill out.”

She turns and sees another person in the gym, another young child whom she does not know. Clearly it is visiting hours at the gym and she should come back later.

The girl child, sitting in a corner of the floor mat, is marking a stack of papers. Peter Parker has managed to detach himself and is gesturing wildly towards the door, but she maintains her focus and barely glances up. It is not hard to get the gist of the conversation; he clearly wants to leave or get her to leave or both leave. The scary witch has arrived, and some leaving needs to be done.

But the girl, who has decided to put her papers away, does not seem to agree. “If you chicken out, then I will,” she is saying, “and I will win at Avengers Bingo and Ned will laugh at you.”

None of that makes sense to her but it apparently triggers something in him. He glances over at her, catches her staring at them, gets a look of extreme anxiety, looks back at the girl, takes a step, glances over at her, catches her _still_ staring, and looks to be starting the entire process over again when the girl stands up, holds him by the arm, and bodily guides the both of them towards her.

She is now very confused.

The girl deposits a similarly-confused-and-even-more-anxious Peter Parker and reaches out her hand to shake. “Sorry for the intrusion, I’m Michelle, my boyfriend here thinks that you’re pretty cool but also _very_ pretty so is completely tongue-tied. I think you’re badass as well as pretty, it’s an honor to meet you.” This is all said very fast, and she shakes her hand the entire while.

“MJyou’retheworst,” mumbles Peter Parker. The girl elbows him, hard, and he takes a breath before continuing, “Er…hi. I’m Peter Parker.”

She blinks.

“It’s definitely an honor to meet you, I’ve, uh, been trying to say that for some time. Your stats on the weight catching drills are just, like, woah.”

That they are. She’s had a lot of aggression to work out.

He’s either unphased by her lack of reply or more worried that the girl will say something else if he doesn’t soldier on. “I’ve been meaning to ask you if you wanted to train sometime. Together. You don’t have to if you don’t want to, I know you prefer working out alone, but I think it could be fun to try and combine drills together. If you want. I’ve got some ideas that I’d love to try, if you want.”

He smiles at the end, so earnestly and hopefully, with a lingering blush, and she finds herself saying yes. The response is instantaneous, and he cheers to himself while flipping over to a pile of concrete blocks. “I’ll just set this up, Ms. Maximoff, five minutes, thank you!”

She has to shake her head a little.

The girl— _Michelle_ , she reminds herself—shrugs and turns back to her. “He’s a bit awkward but it’s because he’s a giant dork,” she says, not quite succeeding in keeping the fondness out of her voice. “I really am sorry for bothering you, this is the most excited he’s been since the whole mess with the whole _thwip thwip_ thing.” She illustrates with a halfhearted flick of her wrists.

An hour later, she is sweaty and tired but laughing, like she hasn’t in a very (very) long time. She has buried whatever innocent schoolboy crush Peter had on her, quite literally, under piles of sandbags that he was too slow to catch out of the air.

He pulls no punches, so to speak, blissfully confident that she will catch every item he slings at her and that she will not put him in any danger.


End file.
